Samantha Smith

Research

DISSERTATION
"Alone at the Top: When Competition Makes Standing Out Worth Standing Alone"
Competition not only identifies talent—it transforms it. My dissertation introduces solo positioning—the strategic choice to become the only member of one's identity group in a competitive context. Across seven experiments (N = 7,000), I demonstrate that solo positioning confers competitive advantages through distinctiveness yet exacts psychological costs through isolation. To examine the long-term consequences of this strategy, I analyzed 500 executive career trajectories, with a particular focus on executives from working-class backgrounds. I find that solo positioning enables their upward mobility—they become the lone working-class voice in boardrooms through extreme self-reliance—yet imposes enduring psychological strain as they ascend the corporate ladder. They find themselves caught between two worlds, alienated from family who cannot relate to their struggles and from peers whose inherited networks remain inaccessible. These findings advance optimal distinctiveness theory by revealing how competitive contexts intensify both the strategic value of distinctiveness and its psychological toll.

PAPERS UNDER REVIEW
Smith, Samantha N., Pink, Sophia L., Kirgios, Erika L., Chang, Edward H., and Milkman, Katherine L. Which Group Should I Join? Competition Drives Group Selection Away from Like-Minded Others. [1st round revision at Journal of Experimental Social Psychology]

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
Smith, Samantha N., “Challenge Accepted: How and Why Competition Alters Group Affiliation Preferences” [Preparing for submission to OBHDP]

Smith, Samantha N., “Flying Solo: Strategic Gains and Psychological Tolls of Low-SES Executive Advancement” [Analyzing data]

Smith, Samantha N., “The Polarity Penalty: How Feedback Variability Exacerbates Gendered Performance Differences in Organizations” [Writing manuscript]

SELECT PRESENTATION & INTERVIEWS
Smith, Samantha N. (2025, July). The Data-Driven Workforce: Transforming Human Capital into Competitive Advantage. Moderated conversation with Matthew Breitfelder at Apollo Global Management, New York, NY.

Catoe, Jamel, Blocker, Victor E., Smith, Samantha N., Holmes IV, Oscar, Carter, James T., Johnson, Tiffany D., Ruggs, Enrica N., Gonzalez, Jorge A., Muzanenhamo, Penelope, Chico, Robert, Garcia, Alexandria L., De La Haye, DC, Reddick, Joanna, Rivera Piedra, Daniela, Simon, Angel, Thomas, Syreeta A., Turner. Sarah R. (2025, July). Expanding DEI Horizons: Broader Approaches to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Management Research. Co-organized PDW at AOM Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Smith, Samantha N., Kirgios, Erika L., Chang, Edward H., and Milkman, Katherine L. (2022, November). Which Group Should I Join? Competition Drives Group Selection Away from Like-Minded Others. Oral presentation at SJDM Conference, San Diego, CA.

Smith, Samantha N., Kirgios, Erika L., Chang, Edward H., and Milkman, Katherine L. (2022, November). Which Group Should I Join? Competition Drives Group Selection Away from Like-Minded Others. Oral presentation at Rising Scholars Conference at Chicago Booth, Virtual.

Smith, Samantha N., Kirgios, Erika L., Chang, Edward H., and Milkman, Katherine L. (2022, August). Which Group Should I Join? Competition Drives Group Selection Away from Like-Minded Others. Organized presenter symposium and presented at AOM Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Smith, Samantha N. (2021, October). In Conversation with Linda Hill, Ph.D. Moderated conversation with Linda Hill, Ph.D. at Harvard Business School, Boston, MA.

Teaching Experience